In recent years, every time I go to the centre of Athens for a walk or for shopping, I will always remember to go to Romvis Street in order to check if the lions are still in place. In the small Petropoulos Arcade at 13 Romvis Street, at the exit to Evangelistrias Street, there are two marble lions, watchful guards of the arcade. They are placed far from each other and at different levels of the arcade.
Doing a little research and asking the shop owners in the arcade (most of the shops sell sewing items and wedding preferences), no one knew when or why these lions were placed there. So my interest became more intense, and I started researching such sculptures. While searching on the internet, I came across the famous “Canova Lions”.
The original Canova Lions
Antonio Canova was an Italian neoclassical sculptor. His works were inspired by the Baroque movement and the Classical Revival. However, he has been characterized as avoiding the melodramatics of the former and the cold artificiality of the latter. One of his most famous works is the monumental tomb of Clement XIII in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The sculpture shows the Pope kneeling in prayer. To his left stands the religion dressed in Jewish holy clothes, and to his right is the genius of death. The sculpture is innovative but also respects the previous tombs in the Basilica.
At the base of the tomb, there are two superb crouching lions, among the most beautiful creations by Canova. The one lion is awake, on the left, representing the energetic work of the pope, while the other, on the right, is asleep, symbolizing his moderation. The profound yet calm psychological contrast of the two is an example of technical perfection. The lions are carved in travertine, while the rest of the monument is made with white marble.
The legacy of Canova Lions
Canova personally donated the plaster casts of the two crouching lions to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice, where students used them as models until recent years. The lions’ beauty and distinctive character made a powerful impression, and from the eighteenth century onwards people began placing copies of them at entrances as sentinels and symbols of strength and health.
One of the most famous copies of the pair stands in front of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Craftsmen cast these sculptures in bronze from moulds taken from the originals and installed them in 1860. Today, copies of the lions appear throughout the world. People use them as doorway sentinels, mantelpiece ornaments, decorative statuettes and even bookends.
The Canova Lions of Romvis Street
The two lions in the Romvis arcade are alone and neglected. They probably decorated the doorway of a building or a house that stood nearby before the construction of the latest buildings in the neighbourhood. The next time you go downtown for shopping or hanging out at one of the nearby hype cafes and restaurants, check out the arcade entrance to see if the lions are still there.
Exit to Evagelistrias Street
